Since Alan Thicke’s death last week, friends and industry colleagues of the beloved entertainment polymath have been mourning the loss and offering public tributes. Today, Entertainment Weekly shared a remembrance from his Growing Pains co-star and onscreen wife, Joanna Kerns, who described their friendship as a refuge from hard times and his influence as inextricable from her life. “Alan had this way about him,†writes Kerns. “He was handsome, cocky, and fiercely intelligent, but he was no saint. That was what made him so much fun. He lived to connect with people, and even more important, he loved to make them laugh.†Thicke apparently encouraged Kerns to make the leap to directing, and she describes him as the most supportive gentleman in her life besides her husband. “Growing Pains was a gift. It lifted us both out of insecurity and changed my life forever,†Kerns writes. “Best of all, it introduced me to Alan. He was my mentor and friend, and I loved him.â€